Play calling still a huge issue

[JerseyRam1]

I could not be any happier with the win. It was a HUGE step for this young team and we will continue to grow. I still have a major issue with the play calling yesterday. Perhaps if a couple of calls were a little more imaginative, we all wouldn't be biting our nails until the last play. Three instances in particular were really bad.

• End of the half, Rams have the ball. They just need one first down and they get out of the half with at the very least a 10-3 lead. Keenum is mobile enough to roll and make a play. But instead they run twice and throw an out from the pocket. Result is a punt. Cards get the ball, defense is gassed and Cards score.
• Late Q3. Rams have he ball close to FG range. Rams decide if they dont get a 1st on 3rd down, they'll go for it on 4th rather than try a FG. Two plays in a row, needing a yard and a half, they throw, one 20 yards down field? Could we not have a bunch formation with a TE drag? Even Gurley out of the backfield?
• After Barron pick, three straight Gurley runs. Again, could we not roll Keenum and give him a run pass option? You know everyone is in tight stopping Gurley.

What Boras did do well in general was to open up the playbook again as Keenum is getting single coverage with 8 in the box. This ultimately will be what frees Gurley. Now, with Cooper and Spruce back, It would be interesting to see the Rams spread the field and move the ball with the passing game. This would indeed make the Rams harder to defend. Boras and Fisher need to continue to evolve to continue this teams growth trajectory.

 

[Psycho_X]

Starting to wonder if we need a run game coordinator now. Eventually we add enough coordinators our offense will function in every phase right?

 

[Legatron4]

I honestly never thought our biggest problem on offense would be the run game. There's just absolutely no blocking at all for Gurley. The Bills put up over 200 yards rushing on them last week. I'm sick of these runs straight up the gut. Run a toss for fuck sake. I know every single time we're going to run, you don't think a NFL coordinator knows?

 

[JerseyRam1]

So true. Gosh, I remember Dickerson on a toss right. He would gain at least 6 yards on every one. Gurley LOVES running out of the power I, however we dont have one play in a power I with Harkey?? I too am astonished how ever run is up the gut without a toss. Shoot, do a toss with Tavon after pounding Gurley then!. Remember the play against the Bears when TA came in motion and instead went in the opposite direction for a 49 yard TD? I dont think that play has been called since!

 

[Fatbot]

The ED toss sweep is from the traditional blocking days of pulling linemen, maybe only Pittsburgh would run it today. Now everything is zone. Besides, ED had Slater collapsing the edge and Harrah pulling, not too shabby!

I like the OL personnel but remember the OL is also kind of a pioneering attempt, too -- like reinventing the LB positions with smaller, faster players -- the Rams are trying to recast zone blocking with "refrigerators with legs" instead of the historical smaller, quicker linemen that Alex Gibbs envisioned.

Getting those big bodies moving to the outside fast enough was already a project. Now add in that some guys may be dinged up and not full speed, I think I saw Wichmann limping around out there, too now. Remember there's no "hole" in zone, the whole point of an outside zone play is to get the line moving as fast as possible horizontally to either attack the corner or create cut up lanes. The combination of the OL just being bogged down a bit right now, plus 9 or 10 bodies in the box clogging any cut backs, really makes it impossible for outside runs to work. Plus lets give some credit, Seattle and Az are fast defenses and can snuff out outside runs with the best of them. But I agree with the original post that it's more that the play calling has been predictable and the defense knows when it's coming.

Part of zone blocking's past success was it wasn't popular -- now with everyone running it defenses go up against it in practice every day, know the cut back philosophy and know how to defend it. The key is an offensive coordinator getting a defense on its heels, out of position, and forcing them to lose their gap discipline/make mental mistakes. Someone else posted the Rams don't seem to be doing as much misdirection and H-back trapping, I'd agree that would be a good place to start. Remember Gurley is also new to the system and his reads will also get better (in those rare cases so far a read has been there instead of 10 guys waiting). I'm still very optimistic that the OL will gain steam as the season goes on and it's just a matter of time before Gurley breaks out.

 

[StealYoGurley]

The problem with the I formation is just makes it even more obvious to stack the box. IMO rams need better spacing and take those extra guys out of the box so the lineman have less people to block and so it isn't 5 guys blocking 9 defenders all the time.

 

[12intheBox]

Where did the Tavon reverse action go? When they use it as a fake the contain from the side he is going to is taken out of the play creating room for TG. There has to be some reason they aren't showing it anymore - was Tavon getting blown up too much running the fake?

They really need to evaluate the run plays and see how often plays are getting stuffed even when the line is excecuting their blocks. If they see everyone doing their job and the play is still going no where then it is a shitty play.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Starting to wonder if we need a run game coordinator now. Eventually we add enough coordinators our offense will function in every phase right?

Or just a real offensive coordinator

 

[WestCoastRam]

Didn't they finally outlaw all cut-blocking this year too? I think a lot of it was all-ready gone but I think they got rid of it entirely this year. Without cut-blocking, cut back lanes may be few and far between for Gurley.

 

[Merlin]

Play calling is not the problem at this point. That play sequence towards the end of the half is what you want to do, hammer that ball in there, get a first down, kill the clock, and send the Cards into halftime down 7. The problem is the OL is not executing and neither are the receivers and TEs as a UNIT.

Run game nowadays requires receivers to block, the TEs to block, to at least slow their man by getting in his way. We are doing it wrong. The OL can't have guys executing swim moves past them and getting penetration where the hole's supposed to be. They need to be better, give TG a seam, a crease, and it's all gonna fall into place.

If Boras had gotten all creative and it didn't work fans would be calling him on not giving the ball to TG in that moment, and rightly so. Keep hammering that ball IMO. Do not give up on the run game ever, you cannot do that if you want to be a team who can run the ball in the playoffs. The dedication needs to be there.

Now schematically there are things Boras can do that are tried and true, like spreading out the defense with formations. Once we get Cooper and Spruce in there, and IF they play well, I do think a 4 wide look with Higbee out there too would do well. As @StealYoGurley pointed out above offenses CAN dictate defensive reactions through formation. But then again what the Rams are doing can work too with play action on early downs to make defenses pay for stacking the box, so there's more than one way to skin a cat.

IMO this week Fish needs to put pads on this OL and work their butts off on sustaining blocks in the run game. IF that takes off we might have something offensively that can sustain wins very well.

 

[Jacobarch]

I think it's a combination of both play calling and poor Oline play. They are so inconsistent and letting defenders run free in the backfield is eventually going to cause a bad turnover. They need to get it fixed or it's going to be a long season.

 

[WestCoastRam]

We need more passing plays out of run formations too. Schotty (God, I hate that I keep going back to him) was actually pretty good about that. Not just play-action but threatening with slants, crossers and posts, and goes. Every time we're under center it's either a run play or play-action.

 

[RamzFanz]

So true. Gosh, I remember Dickerson on a toss right. He would gain at least 6 yards on every one. Gurley LOVES running out of the power I, however we dont have one play in a power I with Harkey?? I too am astonished how ever run is up the gut without a toss. Shoot, do a toss with Tavon after pounding Gurley then!. Remember the play against the Bears when TA came in motion and instead went in the opposite direction for a 49 yard TD? I dont think that play has been called since!

I'm baffled that they can't see this. They've thrown out the plays that worked.

6 rushing attempts for TA in 4 games is criminal.

 

[clevelandrams]

• Late Q3. Rams have he ball close to FG range. Rams decide if they dont get a 1st on 3rd down, they'll go for it on 4th rather than try a FG. Two plays in a row, needing a yard and a half, they throw, one 20 yards down field? Could we not have a bunch formation with a TE drag? Even Gurley out of the backfield?

was screaming my head off during this.

if you know you're going to go on fourth down, run the ball twice and impose your dang will.

on 4th down, targeting a tight end who is covered by peterson is madness.

 

[DaveFan'51]

It would be interesting to see the Rams spread the field and move the ball with the passing game. This would indeed make the Rams harder to defend. Boras and Fisher need to continue to evolve to continue this teams growth trajectory

I like this^ and I hope they Hear you!!

 

[fearsomefour]

There were some nice play designs in the pass game yesterday that got guys open.
The play call that made me crazy was the 3rd down attempt with the week little telegraphed dump to Gurley that turned a 3rd and 1 into a 4th and 3. The pass to Quick was not a bad call at that point, the DB made a good play....not a drop by the way. On replay it looked like Britt was open on a cross close to the first down line, Keenum went for the bigger play. Ok, I can live with that. The 3rd down call was the bad one to me, just an obvious dump to him.

 

[DaveFan'51]

I honestly never thought our biggest problem on offense would be the run game. There's just absolutely no blocking at all for Gurley. The Bills put up over 200 yards rushing on them last week. I'm sick of these runs straight up the gut. Run a toss for freak sake. I know every single time we're going to run, you don't think a NFL coordinator knows?

It's a bit hard to run when your going against a 9 man front. I think we need to get the Passing game going so the running game gets going!JMHO

 

[EastRam]

I think its the lack of options based on the design of the offense.

You never see the O come out of a jumbo set and spread the field and vice versa.
We line up and run the play regardless.

All we here is Kill Kill Kill. We never really see the O change the play completly from what was the original call.

I want some Omaha!

 

[gabriel18]

The play that needs to be taken out of the play book is the 3 yard out on 3rd down . I haven't seen Keenum complete it all year .

 

[Mojo Ram]

I like that the Rams are adjusting to the 8 and 9 men in the box strategy by taking shots downfield(and connecting).
The one playcall that drove me nuts yesterday was a 3rd and 1 and we threw a slow developing sideways short pass to Gurley on the short side of the field where three Cardinals were waiting for him. It wasn't a screen either.

Also, even though they(AZ) sold out on stopping Gurley, if the Rams had decided to just quit on the run and stop slamming #30 up the middle for a yard in the 2nd half....Keenum would have gotten crushed and probably tossed up a pick or two. The Rams stayed with it and it allowed Case a cleaner pocket as a result. The Cards desperately wanted for the Rams to get impatient and just say "Ok fuck it...we can't run on em. Lets just throw it 40 times and try to get it all at once."
That didn't happen. I love it.